This seal being shooed off by a fishmonger is bringing joy to the internet

‘Sammy’ was snapped being chased away from a fish restaurant and back into the sea

We’ve all heard of the chicken crossing the road, but how many have heard of a seal taking a similar stroll - to a fish restaurant?

Yes, this is Ireland’s favourite marine mammal, Sammy the Seal, who it turns out is quite the regular on dry land. And a charmer, too.

Photographic evidence of Sammy’s latest escapade emerged yesterday after Dublin DJ Derek Byrne posted a picture of the seal being chased back into the sea in Wicklow Town, County Wicklow.

The grey seal has been a frequent visitor to Wicklow Town since the opening of the Fishman store on its shore in 2012.

Sammy, thought to be 13 years old, has become something of a local celebrity and tourist attraction, partly owing to his public spats with fish retailers, like this one: 

It’s not all acrimonious though. Sammy is fed three times a day by staff from the fishmonger and the adjoining seafood restaurant, who along with the other townspeople, are rather fond of him.

“Sammy is very popular in Wicklow,” says Alan Hegarty, owner of the Fishman.

“We have busloads of children coming down from schools in the area at his feeding times and the local crowd are trying to adopt him as a mascot.”

While Sammy might not be averse to the attention, he keeps his eye firmly on the food – jumping onto the roadside at high tide.

“He’s been known to be at the restaurant door at six in the morning sometimes.”

“If he doesn’t get fed, he’ll just sit there until you give him the food. He knows if he stays there long enough we have to feed him. He stops traffic and makes a nuisance of himself.”

But as boisterous as the seal may be, he does have a more gallant side to him. Around the time of Valentine’s Day last year, Sammy showed up with a female seal.

“When I go to feed them Sammy steps back so I can feed her first, he's a proper gentleman," Alan told BBC Northern Ireland at the time.

And it looks like the lady seal, who’s due to be named through a local competition, is a keeper.

“She stayed - she obviously wasn't a one night stand,” said Alan.

Sammy brings to mind a number of other overly inquisitive critters.

Like these Rothschild giraffes at the Giraffe Manor conservation project in Kenya, external.

The herd has been living on the grounds of the manor since 1974, and every morning they stick their heads through the dining room windows in search of treats. 

Then there’s the brown bear that earlier this year came between a man and his $20 steak.

The bear's foolish move triggered an epic struggle with the man trying to chase the creature away from his BBQ by waving a fork and throwing beer over him.

Eventually the bear received one slice of meat and a truce was declared. 

But our favourite animal food lover? Well obviously it’s Uncle Fatty.

The morbidly obese macaque developed internet infamy earlier this year after footage emerged of him gorging on food left behind by tourists in Thailand.

After a rescue operation was launched by wildlife officials, Uncle Fatty was enrolled in a special weight loss camp.

Following months of hard work, some low moments, and a lot of determination, Fatty successfully completed his programme. He was released back into the wild in August. 

We’re sure that Sammy would give his seal of approval.